European Colonization of Africa

Europeans turned their attention to the colonization of Africa in the 1800’s. First they merely explored, then they began to trade (including the slave trade), and finally they wanted to control. Some historians have called this human desire to conquer and control the “Conquest Paradigm”. Nearly every nation and people on Earth has participated in this philosophy and behavior, not just the Europeans.

The Conquest of Africa

Slowly various European nations explored, then claimed, nearly all of Africa. Some of the first to go in were Christian missionaries with the result that now much of the population of sub-Saharan Africa is Christian.

This is the early settlement of Leopoldville. It was founded by the explorer Henry Morton Stanley in 1881 as a trading post. He named it after King Leopold II of Belgium who personally owned the territory the city was located in. Today the city is called Kinshasa and is the third largest city in Africa.

In some instances Europeans governed well, but in most cases, the opposite was true. The native Africans were treated horribly. The Belgians under King Leopold II were particularly bad, exploiting the resources and the people of the area they controlled mercilessly. But the Europeans weren’t the only ones causing grief to Africa at this point. The Arabs relentlessly attacked small villages, murdering many in their quest for slaves. The Africans themselves weren’t all virtuous either though. Many tribes warred on their neighbors in order to gain captives to sell to Arab or European slavers.

This is a picture based on a story told by the explorer Livingstone of Arab slave traders who would kill their captives if they became too tired or weak to keep up on the march from central Africa to the east coast of Africa.

Library List

All of these books are affiliate links, but we’ve read and enjoyed them all; we wouldn’t recommend them otherwise. It can be a little tough to find information about this time period, especially for kids. One great book is Leopold II: Butcher of the Congo. This is part of the fascinating “Wicked History” series.

Also look for biographies of David Livingstone, the famous explorer and Christian missionary. He was a truly great man, who loved and did his best to understand the Africans he met.

Think more about the conquest paradigm. What has been the normal relation of humans between one another through history? Generally people have accepted that if you are strong enough to take it, then it is yours. This has been true of peoples as diverse as African tribes, the German Reich, American Indians, Chinese Emperors, and nomads of Central Asia. In the modern day, philosophers have rejected this paradigm. The first to do so were the Enlightenment thinkers of Europe, who really based their ideas on Christian teachings. The first people to put it into practice was the United States of America. And though it still exists today, as we see Islamic militants and Russian troops make war on their neighbors, it is not the prevalent philosophy of the west.

More From Layers of Learning

Unit 3-20 includes this exploration along with lots more about South Africa.

Layers of Learning Unit 4-5: Africa, U.S. Political Maps, Energy Conversion, Impressionism I

Learn more about Layers of Learning and get a free unit on our Curriculum Guide page

Related

Author: Layers of Learning

We are two sisters and homeschool moms who created a family-style, hands-on and engaging curriculum for history, geography, science, and the arts. We sell fantastic unit studies that will transform your homeschool.